Security Forces Rescue 70 Zamfara Students From Bandits
About 70 students abducted by armed bandits from Government Day Secondary School, Kaya, in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State have now regained their freedom after spending about 12 days in the kidnappers’ den
The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) broke the news via its verified Facebook page even as Governor Bello Matawalle confirmed that security forces rescued the students with no ransom paid.
“Using some of the bandits that repented, we were able to know where they were keeping these children. We worked closely with them for about 10 days, and yesterday at about 2 a.m., the commissioner of police, alongside others, took off to the location where these children were rescued,” Governor Matawalle said.
Heavily armed gunmen had on September 1, 2021, stormed the school in a remote village of Kaya, close to the Governor’s hometown. The incident only continued the wave of similar attacks that prompted the state government to shut all schools due to rising insecurity.
A day after the incident, Zamfara Police Command announced the rescue of five female students out of the 73 that were initially abducted by the bandits.
According to competent sources, some students and staff of the institution had on that night escaped unhurt during the bandits’ attack.
Though some sources blamed the incessant abductions on bandits that are seeking ransom payments, others are afraid these criminal elements are linked to the Islamist extremist group, Boko Haram.
Meanwhile, reports from UNICEF indicate that there have been 10 similar attacks in Nigeria over the past year, leading to about 1,436 kidnappings and 16 deaths. – With agency reports
